Night Time Visitor
by Asher Tye
Summary: Hare's POV A simple bath was all I wanted. It should have been simple, no complications. I mean, how much trouble could one little hare get into just taking a bath. What I wasn't counting on was the company. Re-edited for Valentine's Day!


Night Time Visitor

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Rancher in any way shape or form. If you try to sue me for using it, you'll get nothing but bus change. Do not use this story without my permission and do not change it for the same. This story was actually inspired by all the Monster Rancher romance fics that have been floating around. Hope you like it.

Author's Note: So, for Valentine's day I thought I'd go back and re-edit the only real romance story I've ever written. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment, but I think it's still good. Enjoy.

* * *

It didn't take very long for me to make it back to the pond we'd passed a little more than a half hour before. Dumb Tiger. He didn't want to camp here, spouting something along the lines of not wanting to be were any potentially dangerous wild animals came to drink. I think it was more because he didn't want to give Holly an excuse to give him a bath, something he's been needing after being on the road without one for a week, thank you very much.

Oh well, let that silly blue wolf smell like a refuse pile if he wants to. Some monsters hold themselves in higher regard and we prefer not to offend others with our odour.

The pond is beautiful, almost poetic with the moon and stars reflecting in its still surface. Almost like a giant mirror. On one side of the pool stands a collection of tall smooth stones that almost make a wall, with smaller stone outcroppings visibly rising from the surface, the perfect place to take a bath and get some measure of privacy. The rest of the pond's bank looks sandy and clean. All in all, the whole place seems like a scene out of a romance book I once read.

Moving over to the smaller stones, I undo my red kerchief and place it upon one of the flatter ones, along with a towel and a bar of soap. I'm careful as I slip into the water. It wouldn't do to have come all this way to just to slip in the water and bang my head. The night air has cooled the pond greatly and I shivered a bit as I slid in. I wish we were in a village, if for no other reason than that I'd get to use warm water. But I guess beggars can't be choosers. The water soaks my brown fur as I sink down to my shoulders. Having been walking for so long, the sudden weightlessness on my feet feels fantastic. I shiver again, both from the water temperature and the sensation of the small fish currently nibbling at the tips of my toes. It's not long before I'm finally used to the coldness, the still night air helping to reduce the potential chill. Even if this is not my first choice for bathing, I can't really complain.

Having finished relaxing, I turn around to grab hold of the soap, rubbing it in my wet hands to create a foamy lather. There is a slight splashing of water as I go about the business of cleaning my fur, working the grit and grim of our group's travels out of my fur. Times like this I'm a bit jealous of humans like Genki and Holly, who only have a small amount of body hair for dirt to get trapped in. Of course, they're forever getting burned by the sun or frozen by snow, so I guess it's all a tradeoff. Lucky for me a few of the rising stones in the pond never made it past the water's surface, thus providing a natural seat for me to sit on while I work at scrubbing. The pond is just a bit deeper than I'd thought, still waters and all that, and I'm not exactly the tallest monster on the planet.

That's when I realize I'm not as alone as I'd hoped. Two strong, slender hands are suddenly resting on my shoulders, their fingers rubbing soap into my fur as they massage my muscles. Being a hare with a price on my head and enemies known to be just a bit weird, I react in the first way that comes to mind, pulling away from the hands and leaping from my perch into the deeper section of the pond. Kicking a bit, I position myself to avoid any attacks in the water, turning about for a fight and hopefully ready for anything. I'm most definitely not ready for Pixie.

Minutes pass as we remain there, staring at each other from our respective vantages. She's taken a position on the rock overlooking where I'd been sitting, which explains how she'd managed to sneak up on me. Suds from my shoulders still cover her hands, though she doesn't seem overly concerned about that right now. In fact her face shows no concern for anything whatsoever. She almost looks… hungry, particularly as her eyes lock onto my wet form. Our locked gazes break as Pixie slowly, elegantly slides down from her perch and into the water, allowing the liquid to come up to her chest before finding suitable purchase to stand on. She doesn't even shake as she does so, her balance absolutely perfect even on the slippery stones. In a single, fluid motion her right hand moves over her body, undoing the top of her outfit even as her left removes the bottom. Both articles of clothing she places next to my own kerchief, acting as though all three items had everything in common. Not that my mind is particularly focused on that at the moment. I find myself suddenly spitting water out of my mouth, something I didn't even realize was open. I notice something light floating in the water near Pixie, the soap I'd abandoned when I'd made my "escape" earlier. An elegant hand reached out as the former Baddie general took hold of the bar before beginning to rub it against her creamy skin.

As she began to bathe herself, my mind began to think about just how embarrassing a turn of events this could be. That it had been Pixie who had intruded upon my privacy was inconsequential at this point; all anyone passing by would see was me, a somewhat road-weary hare, alone in the pool with a seemingly naked girl. What that passerby probably wouldn't notice, though, would be during this entire time, Pixie's eyes have not stopped looking at me, even as she turns her back to me in the water. And they still had that same hungry look in them, a look which, quite frankly, was making me feel very uncomfortable. Just as quickly did I realize that while I had been alone, Pixie never is. There is always one monster that is forever near the former general; her golem hybrid minion, Big Blue. And he's not likely to find any of this funny.

"Oh bother," Pixie suddenly said, to no one in particular it seemed. "Hare would you mind coming over here and scrubbing my back? My wings always get in the way when I do it myself." Again my jaw dropped, and I began to wonder if I had something clogged in my ears. This had to be a trick. Someway, somehow I just knew I would soon find myself in a situation I didn't want to be in. With great caution I started swimming over to her.

As I got closer and nothing happened, I began to think how silly all my worries were. This was Pixie after all, one of the original members of Moo's Big Bad Four and one of the most powerful monsters I'd ever met. To say I was nowhere near her level of power was an understatement and if she really wanted to hurt me, or kill me, there were plenty of easier ways to do so, especially since she'd been able to sneak up on me. And yet here she was, patiently standing there, arm outstretched as she offered me the soap. I took it and, for the briefest of moments, our hands touched. A thrill of electricity shot through my arm for that moment, a sensation that I had never felt at any other's touch. With a smile on her face, Pixie turned back around in the water, exposing her back to me. I reached out with the soap and began to rub. Her skin was smooth, flawless, even where the reptilian wings met her pale flesh. The muscles were tense, I could tell that much from even a simple touch.

It's funny how life works. Here I am, the Searcher who probably has the most worldly experience, bathing with a beautiful girl monster apparently all alone in the middle of nowhere, and still I was caught by surprised by what happened next.

Before I could react, Pixie turned around, her arms grabbing me in a forceful embrace as she planted her lips on my own. My eyes opened wide as I realized her intent and I took a startled jump backwards out of her grip, thankful that it was not too strong. A wicked smile appeared on her face and quickly I looked around, fully expecting to see Big Blue somewhere growing red with anger and ready to pound me into a carrot patch.

The movement of water returned my attentions back to my sudden pond-mate. Pixie once more floated in front of me, her wings laying flat against the water keeping her up as she bobbed gracefully closer toward me.

"You need to relax Hare. After all, I'm not going to hurt you... much," Pixie cooed one of her little fangs seductively escaping her bottom lip to make her grin a tad more mischievous. Her arms rose from the water to rest on my shoulders, looping around my neck as she pulled me in. As if sensing my hesitance, her elbows caught my head as I tried to dive under and escape. "Ah, is the bunny a little skittish around big bad Pixie?"

At this small bit of mockery I felt just a little offended. Given the situation I was in, I certainly felt I had a right to exercise a bit of caution.

"It's not that I'm 'skittish,' as you put it, it's just this is kinda sudden," I said, defending myself even as I put on my patented rakish grin. I might have been caught off guard, but I'm not about to lose a match of wits to anyone, no matter how gorgeous they looked in the moonlight.

…Wait, did I just think that?

"And here I thought you liked surprises," she said seductively, her eyes gazing hypnotically into my own. That's somewhat disconcerting. I wasn't aware pixies could hypnotize opponents. A sudden blink brought me back to reality as I answered her accusations.

"Not if the surprise involves Big Blue breaking me in two," I pointed out, once more making a half-hearted attempt to leave her embrace. Hey, it's not as though being in the arms of Pixie is an altogether unpleasant experience.

"He's not here," the reformed Baddie admitted, her eyes leaving me for what felt like an eternity, but was probably less than a second. "Believe me, he wanted to be here. And he was quite insistent. But I felt you would not appreciate an audience." A sudden realization dawned on me at that moment.

"So why me?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. Now I do consider myself quite the catch mind you. After all I'm young, I'm handsome, and I'm smart. Plus with ambitions like mine, it's a synch I'm gonna be rich some day. What girl wouldn't want me? But this was Pixie, a woman for whom complex is an inadequate adjective at best. One couldn't help but wonder. Again she made that wicked smile.

"Is it really such a shock? Big Blue is my best friend, someone whom I can trust with my life beyond any other. But, I'm afraid when it comes to other matters, he is not always able to express himself as well as he'd like. And of course my circle of friends has diminished greatly since I left Moo. Truthfully you searchers are my only other friends. I think we can agree that, whatever their good qualities, Genki and Mocchi are too young to even be considered, and I somehow doubt Tiger would consent, my being a former Baddie and all."

"So that leaves me as last choice, eh? Don't I feel special." Geez, a touch bitter there Hare? Her arms fell down past my shoulders, encircling my waist and pulling us together until both our bodies touched. I've never felt such a body in all my life. Her breasts feel soft against my chest, but I can also feel the hardness of her muscles underneath. Hers is not the soft body of some vapid beauty Queen, it is that of a warrior, a general, a sheer force of nature. A part of my brain, the part that's always on alert, warns that there might not be any way for me to escape this embrace without her consent.

Then she leaned in and whispered her answer to me.

"I'll tell you something Hare, I never settle for a last choice." Once more her lips latched onto mine in a ferocious kiss. For a brief instant we began to sink in the water, but Pixie was ready, spreading her wings to their limit to hold out heads above the surface. The sound of moving water came to my ears and I became dimly aware of the face that we were moving. I might have been curious as to where she was pulling me, but, that seemed so unimportant at the moment. Desire overcame everything else as I began to return the kiss. I could feel her jaw. As our mouths opened, my tongue extended to explore the interior of her mouth, no mean feat considering the arrangement of our teeth, but such did not impair my efforts. My arms finally moved, wrapping carefully around her body so as to avoid her wings as they pulled us gently to where we could stand. Well, at least where Pixie could stand. I, being shorter than a freaking mew, held onto her as she kept me above water. Under my white cheek fur I blushed with embarrassment. That was when I felt something wrap around my leg, binding it to Pixie's own. Thoughts of some scaly serpent trying to get a quick meal arose in my head, until I felt the pointed tip of a tail, Pixie's tail, begin to trace the curve of my hip.

I'm not really sure when we wound up on the sandy shores, but we did all the same, Pixie's tail still wrapped around us. In deference to the wings on her back, I laid under her in our embrace, the gritty sand working its way into my wet fur as we shifted about. Not that I mind, really. Being on the bottom allows my hands plenty of free room and opportunity to roam over and caress her smooth skin. I break the long kiss then, my mouth and tongue moving down her left cheek and onto her neck. I start to nibble carefully, mindful of my large and sharp incisors lest I accidentally hurt her. Pixie moans softly as my hips buck, our bodies moving as one. I can feel it as a disturbed droplet of water slides down the flyer's ivory skin and soaks into my fur. A quiet groan escapes my lips as a wave of pleasure washes over my brain, my free leg kicking the air, the claws at the ends of my toes raking at nothingness. Traveling down her back one of my hands strokes the base of her tail as her mouth begins to nibble on the tip of my ear, sending a shiver of pleasure all the way down my spine.

Suddenly she began to roll, resulting in us tumbling through the sand and grass, ending with me back on my back and both of us grunting. The next thing I know her arms are once more holding my head, pulling me closer. I feel the shudder as my cold nose touched her bare flesh. I myself shudder as I deplete the oxygen trapped against her skin. My head twists to the side so I may breath, and I soon find myself greeted by the thumping sound of her beating heart in my ear. I smile as I listen to how fast her heart is moving, how warm she feels. Pixie's hands released my head, moving one of her arms underneath us both, her fingers cutting through any tangles that got in her way as she reached the small of my back. It felt like I was laying on a rock for a while. Her free hand made itself useful by stroking my side, playing my ribs like a harp. It was so pleasing I actually found myself responding in kind. An almost human giggle escaped Pixie's lips when I touched her, a sound I couldn't help but join in as we continued in our activities, totally absorbed in the moment.

It's funny how your perception of the passing of time can be altered depending on what you are doing. It's often seemed like my friends and I have been walking for hours whenever we traveled; a figurative eternity passes between campsites. And whenever we were having fun and relaxing, time seemed to slip away faster than it could be counted.

Sadly the same was true of this night. It seemed as though we had hardly begun when we both released a final moan of ecstasy. I have never felt more tired, even after I battled Celious in Centaur's arena. Pixie moved off, sliding onto her side beside me. I rolled over to face her and looked into those beautiful eyes that were no longer filled with the hunger of before, but contentment. We were both breathing hard from our exertions, and I watched as her chest expanded and contracted with each breath, her firm breasts rubbing gently against the sand she lay in. I reached out a hand and slowly, gently, touched her soft cheek. She smiled at me and a finger soon began to glide up the middle of my furry chest, stopping when it touched my chin. It moved forward and I followed, bringing my face closer to hers as we kissed again. Though this one seemed less passionate than the ones we'd shared before, it was no less memorable.

Suddenly Pixie stopped and her entire body seemed to freeze in place. For a brief moment I was confused, until I figured out what had caused her sudden rigidity. A faint noise was coming to my ears, a snickering I hadn't noticed until now. A soft rustling of leaves also indicated the intruders' presence. Someone was watching us, and I had no idea how long they've been there. Pixie's finger returned to my face, firmly pressed over my lips, her eyes commanding me to silence. We both quickly stood, ready for anything. The snickering had turned to chuckling, which continued to get louder, as if mocking us.

"You might as well come out, now. We know you're there," Pixie said, her voice taking on an even colder tone than it usually held. Angry did not seem an adequate description of the lady's mood. Not that I could blame her. I felt my fists ball up as my fury rose. This had been, or should have been, a private moment. That someone had had the audacity to intrude was unforgiveable. The bushes in front of us rustled more wildly than before as the chuckling turned to raucous laughter. Out of the growth stepped eight zuum, each brandishing Moo's insignia on a chain around their necks.

"Oh that was such a good show. You two could really clean up if you took it on the road," the lead zuum said in a sleazy voice.

"The mighty Pixie and a peasant fuzzball. This is just too rich," came another lizard's snide remark. Pixie eyes grew harder as she stared at the captain.

"You will be very sorry that you intruded on us reptile."

"I have to tell you, even without Master Moo's reward for your hide, this night has been far from sorry... ZUUM ATTACK!" The captain yelled. The dinosaurs fanned out surrounding us. I raised my fists, ready to fight as many of the baddies as I could and maybe buy Pixie a chance to escape. What can I say? They'd caught us with our pants down, no pun intended. I knew Pixie could take care of herself, but, the way my mind was working, that fact just didn't register.

A zuum, the one that had called me a "peasant fuzzball," charged at us, opening his mouth to try to bite my head off. A foolish move, as I gladly demonstrated by loosening his teeth with an uppercut. A blur of red shot out from behind me, slashing at the zuum's exposed neck and severing his windpipe. I looked back at Pixie to find her wings fully spread out, lifting her lithe body into the air. Any worries I had about Pixie in this situation vanished as she dove at two more of the zuum, slashing at their throats the same as the one before, killing them almost instantly. Pink energy sparkled around her fingers as she pointed at another zuum, killing it with a lightening bolt. She moved so fluidly, it was almost beautiful to watch. Fortunately, I snapped out of my revelry in time to plant a fist on the crowned forehead of a zuum that had decided I was an easier target than Pixie. I followed the punch with a left kick to the baddy's stomach. I jumped on my right foot and turned, connecting with his head. I hadn't really meant for the kick to be so hard, but it sent the zuum's head to the rocks very hard, and I heard the crack of bones before he turned into a lost disk.

Another zuum came at me, spitting fireballs in rapid succession as I hopped and danced about, easily avoiding the poorly aimed attacks. I made it to the lizard as he prepared to launch another volley and forced his mouth closed on the fireball. The look on his face was priceless, even better than the time Genki had eaten an Inferno Pepper at that restaurant, despite everyone's warnings about how intense it was. The Zuum hopped around, waving his hands at his smoking mouth and trying desperately to cool it. Finally he remembered the pond and raced over to it, gulping the water down his throat. It was too good an opportunity to miss. A swift kick planted my foot right on his scaly backside, sending him sailing into the center of the pond. A shaft of pink energy finished off the hapless zuum. Above me, Pixie had moved onto her next target, grabbing him by the tail as she soared higher and higher into the sky, the zuum screaming and begging for her to let him go. She did. And she was even gracious enough to lose some altitude before letting go. A part of me hoped he didn't suffer long.

The last two zuum, leader and the final subordinate, were at once reconsidering the wisdom in attacking us.

"This is impossible. We outnumbered them four to one."

"Hey, the lady did say we'd make you sorry, lizard lips," I said, goading the captain to attack. It was a lot easier to fight an opponent blinded by rage. The captain, however, had other ideas.

"Pixie may be able to stand up to us, but don't think some weak little carrot muncher can do it too. Especially when it's two on one." Both zuum rounded on me, and I moved into a defensive stance, ready for anything they could throw at me. Suddenly, Pixie stepped between us, an angry look on her face as her left hand was raised over her head. I looked up to see a small red ball of energy resting on the tip of her lone index finger. Whatever attack she was preparing, Captain Zuum obviously knew it, as his eyes widened in fear and his body began to shake.

"Be gone," came Pixie's whispered command as the energy ball moved swiftly towards its targets. With no time to spare, Captain Zuum grabbed his partner, forcing the unfortunate lizard to take the full force of the killing attack. Alone now, the captain decided discretion to be the better part of valor and ran like a mad-monster, tripping a few times over his own clawed feet. Undoubtedly he'd be back with reinforcements. Reinforcements that would be a lot more numerous than his original group. Reinforcements that might just stumble across my sleeping friends, putting them at a disadvantage in a battle. I couldn't let that happen.

I sprinted after the zuum, quickly closing the gap between us before leaping into the air, saying the magic words "Dragon Kick" as I flew. A familiar flame surrounded my outstretched foot as my body was accelerated to provide the devastating force the attack needed. Captain Zuum gave a fearful look over his shoulder, just in time to see my fireball foot connect with the back of his neck. I felt and heard it as his neck broke and his body toppled downward, changing into a lost disk as I landed by it.

"Nice move Hare," Pixie applauded, as she landed nearby, looking over the results of my work.

"He didn't really give me a choice," I replied.

"Then you shouldn't fee bad about doing what was necessary." Pixie gingerly walked over to the rocks, kicking the lost disk of the zuum that had died there. I looked over at her. Her body looked as though it had never left the water. Not a smudge, not bruise, not even a grain of dirt seemed to be on that beautiful ivory skin. For my part, I could have fed a worm monster with the mud and grit that had become stuck to my fur. Despite my having to take another bath though, this night had been great. I walked over to Pixie, who had retrieved her clothing from the rock and begun to get dressed.

"You were, fantastic..." I began, then noticed she didn't even look at me when I spoke. Something is wrong. "Look I'm sorry if I insulted you or something by trying to protect you back there, but..."

"It's not that," she said, her eyes closing. The look on her face didn't seem like an angry one, it seemed more like she was trying to hide, like she was... It couldn't be, could it? Pixie, former member of the Big Bad Four, was acting embarrassed.

"Hey, what's the matter? I'm here, you can tell me." I placed my hand on her back, gently starting to rub. I was stopped quickly by her hand, which gently moved me away. Finally she started to look at me.

"Why do you have to be so sweet?" she asked, dropping my hand.

"Huh?"

"You're making this harder than it's ever been Hare," she answered, the expression on her face changing. Her eyes took on a much sadder appearance and her jaw lost some of its set hardness. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"What do you..." Only one thought came to my mind, and even as it did I fought to find a reason it couldn't be true. But for all my brilliance, there was no way I could persuade myself to any other conclusion. I'd been used. A tear came to my eye. I know it sounds sappy, but that is what happened.

"You always seem to roll with the punches, like nothing can really faze you. Everything about you seemed to say you don't get too close to people. I thought you'd be perfect."

"Why?" was the only question I could ask as I choked back the anger and betrayal I felt. I kept my eyes locked onto her, the best glare I could muster. I didn't want her to think she could sneak away, even for a second. In hindsight, I don't think it was really necessary.

"Pixies are creatures of passion. Even the ones that seem coldest can't help themselves at some point. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen."

"So what, I was just someone to release all these pent up needs with! An object to use and then throw away!"

"It wasn't like that Hare. Like I said, you seemed the perfect type. I had no idea you'd actually think there was something more to it than that."

"Well I did..." I had taken all I could. I grabbed the soap from the rock and returned to the pond, intent on achieving my original goal of cleanliness. I had to. I didn't want Pixie to see the well of tears coming to my eyes. "Well you got what you wanted, so you might as well leave."

"No," came her reply. The sound of claws on stone indicated she'd returned to the perch where this whole mess had started. "I'm not leaving until you understand."

"I UNDERSTAND PERFECTLY, YOU WERE HORNY SO YOU JUST DECIDED TO USE ME TO FIX IT!" I yelled, whirling around to face her, tears rolling down my cheeks. "I knew you pixies had a selfish streak, but I didn't think it was this bad!" I wanted to hurt her, to hit her with something, so I threw the only thing that was handy at her. Her hand moved like effortless lightning to catch the bar of soap.

"I understand that you are angry. You probably have a right to be."

"Probably? PROBABLY? YOU USED ME! Do you have any idea how that FEELS? Don't you have any feeling for anyone else, or is that something you pixies just aren't able to do?" I spit out the word pixie, an action that actually made her wince.

"Truthfully... No. I didn't really give much thought to your feelings. I didn't with the others and you seemed so similar."

"You keep saying that, like it's a perfectly acceptable reason for your actions."

"Come on Hare, you're smart enough to realize that what happened tonight couldn't be a once in a life time occurrence. You're not the first I've done this with. I know that may sound insensitive, but it is the truth. The other two, they were baddies, chosen because I knew they'd have no lingering attachments. Even if they didn't understand why I wanted them, they didn't care." That didn't seem right to me. How could anyone think nothing of someone like Pixie?

"So you just used them too?"

"Don't make it sound like they were unwilling partners in all this. In fact they were actually more into it than I was, and all they wanted afterwards was to brag. I never felt guilty about them. But you ARE different, that's what's making this so difficult. You didn't try to take advantage of the situation until I gave you no choice. And here you are, not running off to go tell your friends but actually sticking around. Did you ever intend to tell?"

"I'm not... really sure," I said. It was the truth. Who could I tell it to? This wasn't really something I was interested in making public knowledge. My ears drooped a little at the thought.

"You wouldn't have. I can tell." She closed her eyes once again, those same beautiful eyes I'd fallen for only a few hours before. "You must believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you. And if there was any way I could change it I..."

"I didn't say… I'd want it to change," I found myself saying. My body shivered as I said those words.

"Then what is it you want?"

"You," I said. "You're what I wanted, since the moment I met you." What was going on? Here I was, saying something I knew would make me sound like a lovesick fool to someone I was supposed to be hating. For her part, Pixie seemed equally surprised. Oh well, since I couldn't go backwards, I might as well go ahead. "And why shouldn't I? You're beautiful, you're powerful, and, even if you try to hide it sometimes, you've got a kind heart. That's why I went along with you Pixie. Even if you knew there was no chance, I still thought there was." I swam up close to her perch, the hard stare I'd been favoring her with had vanished from my face.

"Now I'm even sorrier," Pixie said, her hand resting on mine as she leaned over to my face. Before I knew it, we were once more kissing, a tender one this time, one that did not seem to last for eternity as the others had, but instead lasted long enough. We pulled apart. "I wish there was some way I could gain your forgiveness Hare. I can only promise you I won't do this to you again."

"Pixie, was there... was there... ever a chance we could have..."

"Become a couple? I'm really not sure. There might have been, there might still be. I'm not an expert in affairs of the heart, especially my own. But now, more than ever, I want to be alone." Pixie's wings unfurled and she rose into the air like some dark angel, ready to leave. "Take care of yourself Hare." She said, disappearing into the darkness of the night. All I could do was wave as she left me. I almost can't remember what happened afterward. Pixie had given me something to think about. I do know I took the time to clean the fresh mud from my fur before grabbing my things and heading back to camp. Somewhere along the line I may have lost my bandanna, since I didn't have it when I arrived. Not that that was a problem, I have plenty of spares in my bag.

Everyone else was asleep by the time I arrived, but try as I might to be quiet, there was one monster who refused to stay asleep. Tiger lifted his head to stare at me. I almost believed he'd been up this whole time waiting.

"My, you were out late," the wolf said, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb our friends. "The others were worried you'd been ambushed by enemies. We even went out to search for you. You're lucky I was the one who found you first." I hadn't noticed how tense I'd grown at the sound of his voice. "Don't worry, as far as they know you're fighting an infestation of fleas." A bit much, but it would account for why I didn't come back.

"Thanks," I said, taking my place on a soft patch of ground. Tiger may be a jerk most of the time, but he did have his moments.

"If that's what your idea of a bath is however, I may have to start taking some more of my own." Well, at least Tiger was kind enough to muffle his yelp when the dirt clod hit him.

* * *

Well that's it. My attempt at a romance or just a little moonlight fun, depending on your view of things. As to the fate of Hare's bandanna, I'll just leave that up to your imaginations. Did he lose it, or did Pixie happen to pocket a keepsake of their evening? Since you've made it down to here, though, I'm sure you'll be kind enough to leave a review or criticism depending. Just remember, flames will be misread for whatever my imagination can conceive, so it really doesn't do any good to insult me. Until next time, Sayonara.


End file.
